We Are Family
by Dave Sek
Summary: An unexpected visit leaves Dawn's future in question.
1. An Unexpected Visit

This story is set after the events of "Sleeper." Like season 7 has been so far, there aren't any ships going on in this story.  
  
  
  
  
  
The vampire was far stronger than your average run-of-the-mill vampire, but he was no Angel or de-chipped Spike. It was only a matter of moments before he too wound up becoming dust.  
  
Dusting herself off, Buffy Summers began her long walk home. It had been a hard night of Slaying. The number of vampires across town had dropped down quite a bit in the last few years, but it appeared they were returning now that Spike had been siring again. Not intentionally, Buffy realized, but the fact was he had been killing people and turning them into his own. Now that he realized what was happening, she hoped it would stop, but she wasn't sure. She was afraid she would have to put a stop to it, but she wanted to give Spike one more chance.  
  
Buffy was a block from the Bronze when she heard a scream behind her. "Monster!" she heard some woman scream. Turning around, Buffy ran sprinting towards the sound of the voice. Just as she got to an alleyway, she nearly bumped into a screaming woman. Buffy grabbed the woman by the shoulders.  
  
"What's wrong?" She asked. "What attacked you?"  
  
"Some monster," the woman breathed. "In the alley!" Without another word, she shrugged Buffy's hands off and continued running for her life.  
  
Buffy ran into the alleyway, a stake at the ready. She wasn't sure if it was a vampire that had attacked the woman or not, but she wasn't going in unprepared. It wasn't until she saw the cause of the woman's fear that she placed the stake back in her pocket. "Clem," she said.  
  
Clem was sitting on the ground, staring at his feet. He looked to be quite depressed. His head rose at the sound of Buffy's voice, and he smiled at the sight of a friendly figure. "Buffy!" he exclaimed.  
  
"What happened here?" Buffy asked, pointing in the direction the woman had run. "She said you attacked her."  
  
"Hardly!" Clem responded. "I asked her if she would go to Blockbuster and rent me 'Scary Movie 2,' but she freaked. Do you have any idea how hard it is for a demon to rent a movie? Sure, these places preach that they don't discriminate based on your gender, sex, or religious beliefs, but what about your species? It's fine and dandy to discriminate against a demon. This country is so hypocritical. Land of the free, my butt."  
  
Buffy couldn't help but laugh. Not at the discrimination Clem faced, but the fact that this was a demon that wouldn't even use the word "ass." She was glad to learn that not all demons were evil like she once thought. Clem had more of a soul than some people she knew.  
  
"What was it you wanted to see again?" she asked.  
  
"'Scary Movie 2,'" Clem responded. "Are you going to rent it for me?"  
  
"Sure, why not?" Buffy answered. "I don't have anything else to do at the moment."  
  
As a result, Buffy was a lot later coming home than usual. She was glad her best friend Willow Rosenberg still lived at the Summers' residence; otherwise Buffy would make one terrible bigger sister. It was hard to continue a job as the Slayer and watch out for your younger sister. Not that Dawn couldn't take care of herself.  
  
Buffy arrived home at 12:45AM. Willow was at the kitchen table eating something. "What is that?" Buffy asked.  
  
"Peanut butter and egg quesadilla," Willow responded. Upon the look Buffy gave her, Willow smiled. "It's Dawn's invention. She insisted I try it. I think because she didn't want to eat it herself. So, did you have a rough night of Slayage?"  
  
"Sort of," Buffy responded. "Dawn in bed?"  
  
"Yeah, but Buffy, there's something I think you should know first."  
  
"What's that?"  
  
Before the witch could respond, a woman appeared at the doorway leading from the kitchen to the living room. Buffy hadn't seen this woman once since moving to Sunnydale. The woman, who had long blonde hair like Buffy's, had a disapproving look on her face.  
  
"Your aunt Mona is here," Willow said. "Surprise." 


	2. It's Not Safe Here

Buffy was convinced that her aunt Mona Keller was a very miserable lady.  
  
Mona stayed at the Summers' residence for the next week. Several times Buffy wanted to kick the woman out, but this was her mother's sister. She had no idea how the two women could ever have been related, but they were. They were on two completely opposite ends of the rainbow.  
  
Mona seemed to criticize everything her niece did. They got in an argument at least once every day. Several times it was over Buffy's duties as a Slayer ("you're neglecting your sister," Mona would say), but other times it was over things that were none of Mona's business.  
  
"How can you let Dawn have anything to do with this Anya Emerson woman?" Mona asked on the first day. "Dawn tells me this woman is an ex-demon who has eviscerated thousands of men in her lifetime. For the life of me, I can't figure out why you haven't chopped off the woman's head and sent her packing on a one way ticket to wherever demons go when they die."  
  
Buffy tried to explain that Anya was no longer a demon, and even if she were she was no longer intent on causing the pain and destruction she once had. Mona argued that Anya should still be punished for her past crimes, but Buffy argued that Anya deserved redemption, just like anyone else.  
  
"Dawn has told me that you've had some sort of a relationship with a vampire," Mona said on the second day. "Your mother told me you're a vampire slayer. So why is it you haven't slayed this vampire yet? It all seems rather simple to me. You find a vampire, you stake him, you come home and make sure your sister has done her homework. It's relatively simple, is it not?"  
  
Again, Buffy tried to argue that Spike was a souled vampire on the road to redemption. Not that she was entirely sure her aunt didn't have a point; with Spike's recent actions, perhaps it would be best to drive a stake through his heart. But she couldn't do that. The damage he had done wasn't entirely his fault. He had helped Buffy more than she could ever say, even when he was evil; surely she should give him a chance to grow with his newfound soul.  
  
"I'm not sure I like this Xander fellow coming around all the time," Mona said on the third day. "I mean really, what good does he do? He doesn't have any special powers. So why do you associate with this man? Are you two seeing each other? Dawn says he never went to college. I'm not sure I approve of a man that obviously has no ambition."  
  
This time, Buffy had to explain that Xander may not be the most powerful member of the group, but he was just as important as any of her friends. He was also a dear and trusted friend who would give his life to protect everyone in the group (except Spike, of course). And there's nothing wrong with a man and woman having a strictly platonic friendship. Mona looked at Buffy as if the Slayer were a crazed woman.  
  
"I'm not sure if I like this Willow," Mona bemoaned on the fourth day. "I mean, why does she have to stay here? I know she's a witch, but can't she cast a protection spell around the place and go live somewhere else? To be entirely honest, I'm starting to think she might be, well, a bit unladylike, if you catch my drift."  
  
Buffy did catch her drift, and explained that Willow was in fact a lesbian. This, of course, freaked Mona out. At first she assumed Buffy and Willow were lovers (as if it's impossible for heterosexual and homosexual women to have a close friendship), and then she worried that Willow was trying to "corrupt" Dawn.  
  
"Jesus, what is your problem?" Buffy asked that morning. "Why are you picking on all of my friends? Anya and Spike have done a lot of bad, but that's in the past. They've been a big help to me lately and have both become decent human beings." Buffy could tell that Mona wanted to interject and mention that Spike isn't human, but Buffy kept going before her aunt could get another word in. "Xander has put his life on the line for each of us, and I wouldn't even be here if not for Willow!" She neglected to mention the fact that Willow also recently attempted to send Buffy back to her grave.  
  
Mona had been visiting a week before she said the thing that pissed Buffy off the most.  
  
"Buffy, I have to tell you the truth," Mona remarked at breakfast that day. She shot a look at Dawn, who was eating a celery and tomato omelet. "I didn't come here just for a visit. The truth is, I think it would be best if Dawn were to come live for me a while."  
  
Buffy and Dawn's mouth fell so far to the ground, that it was quite easy to see why the two were related. 


	3. The Guardian

"What? Are you crazy?" Buffy demanded. "This is Dawn's home. She's not going anywhere!"  
  
"Buffy, calm down," Dawn said. "It's just a suggestion."  
  
"Just a suggestion?!" Buffy barked. "Do you mean to tell you you're actually considering going with her?"  
  
"Of course not," Dawn responded. "I'm just saying, it's only a suggestion. There's no need to get all screamy." Turning to Mona, Dawn said, "I know you mean well, Aunt Mona, but Buffy's right. This is my home."  
  
"I thought you'd say that," Mona responded. "She's turned you against me."  
  
"What?!" Buffy shrieked.  
  
"No, seriously, Aunt Mona, you have it all wrong!" Dawn exclaimed. "This is my home. I don't want to leave here. Six months ago I might have agreed to go with you, but I'm needed here."  
  
"That's precisely my point," Mona answered. Buffy found it irritating how through all of this, her aunt was sounding so damn calm. It was like she didn't even realize what she was suggesting was going to rip her family apart. "You're needed here for what? To help fight demons? Dawn, you're a fourteen year old girl."  
  
"Sixteen," Dawn corrected.  
  
"The point is, you're too young for this line of work," Mona continued. "I really do think it would be for the best if you return to Montana with me. If, when you're eighteen, you want to come back, you can. All I want is for you to finish out your childhood without worrying that you're going to get eaten by a Klavloc demon."  
  
"Look Mona," Buffy responded, "we appreciate your concern, but it's out of the question. Dawn's staying. End of story."  
  
"I was hoping you would be an adult about this, Buffy, but I see that's now out of the question," Mona replied. "I was hoping I wouldn't have to tell you this, but it's become quite clear I do. I'm not asking for Dawn to come back with me; I'm telling you she's coming back with me. I've already talked to your father and the court, and they both agree I am much better suited to take care of your sister than you are. I am Dawn's legal guardian now."  
  
"What?" Dawn asked.  
  
"You're not serious," Buffy said, though she herself wasn't sure if her aunt was telling the truth or not. "You can't be."  
  
"Here," Mona said, reaching into her purse and pulling out a piece of paper. She slid the paper across the table to Buffy, who took it, although suspiciously. "It's a court order. It says right there in black and white that you are to turn over Dawn to me immediately."  
  
"Does it really say that?" Dawn asked her older sister. "Is it for real?"  
  
"I don't know, I'm not a lawyer," Buffy said before crumpling the paper in her hand. She threw it on the floor and turned back to Mona. "But it doesn't matter if it's real or not. She's not going with you. Now get out." She had wanted to tell the woman since she had first arrived, but hadn't been able to work up the courage until just now. "Get out, or I'll throw you out."  
  
"Fine," Mona said, rising from the table. "But I'll be back tonight with the police. If you won't release Dawn voluntarily, the police will just make you." Turning to Dawn, she smiled. "Dawn, I'll see you tonight, sweetie." And with that, Mona was out the door.  
  
Neither Summers girl knew what to say at the moment. "Am I really going to have to move to Montana?" Dawn asked. When her sister didn't immediately answer, she repeated, "Am I?"  
  
"I don't know Dawn," the Slayer admitted. "I just don't know." 


	4. A Simple Search

Sure enough, Mona lived up to her threat. That evening at 6, Buffy and Willow watched helplessly as the police ordered Dawn to vacate the premises along with her new legal guardian, Mona. Dawn was in tears, but she didn't say anything. Buffy knew if the situations were reversed, she'd be screaming and kicking to stay; she wasn't sure if she was glad Dawn was so quiet or not.  
  
Buffy had filled Willow in on the situation when the Wicca had awakened later that morning. Willow had asked Buffy if she wanted her to call any of their friends, but Buffy had opted not to do so. Having Anya and (especially) Xander there would have just made the good-byes harder, not just for herself but for Dawn. She could only imagine what Dawn was going through.  
  
The good news was that Mona wasn't intending to return to Montana, at least not immediately. She was still staying in town a week longer, which meant she would be able to see her sister a few more times before the move.  
  
"How could she do this?" Willow asked after Mona, Dawn, and the police were out of sight. "Just swoop in and steal Dawny away from us. How could she?"  
  
"I don't know," Buffy responded. Willow shot her friend a look, and she could see that Buffy had started crying. She had forced the tears to stay inside for Dawn's benefits, but now that her sister couldn't see her she let them flow freely. "I don't understand any of this. She didn't even bother to show up for the funeral." Buffy stopped, a hand raising to her mouth.  
  
How could I have just said that? Buffy asked herself. How could she refer to Mom's funeral as if it were just some run of the mill sale at JC Penny's; didn't her mother's death deserve more respect than that?  
  
Willow could only imagine how Buffy must be feeling. It was pretty much an unwritten law that they never mention Joyce's funeral. While they would never forget the loss of someone so important to them, they did try to keep it as far out of their head as possible.  
  
But now that Buffy had said something, it got Willow to thinking. Mona hadn't showed up for the funeral. According to Buffy, Mona had never once contacted her, Dawn, or her mother since the three had arrived in Sunnydale. Willow had never even heard of the woman until she arrived in town a week earlier. How could a woman who had had no connection with her niece suddenly swoop in and steal her away?  
  
"I'll be right back," Willow said, running into the house. Buffy ignored her. This was a new type of battle, one she had no idea how to participate in. This wasn't fighting a demon; this wasn't bringing an evil human to justice. This was her aunt she was talking about.  
  
  
  
Upstairs, Willow logged onto her computer. She went through all the procedures to make sure she couldn't be traced and then logged into the City Hall's websites and tapped into the Hall of Records files. She pulled up Dawn's name.  
  
"Ah hah," she whispered to herself before pushing the print button. And then she performed a search for Buffy's mother in the Sunnydale Gazette.  
  
  
  
Buffy was downstairs moping at the table when Willow barged in. "Buffy, Dawn's in trouble!" she said.  
  
"What? What happened?" Buffy said, instantly alert. "What's happening?"  
  
"I just checked the hall of records," the witch reported, "and there is no paperwork about an adoption for Dawn. Mona has never once gone and filed for custody of Dawn. And that's not all. Here." She handed over another piece of paper. She could tell from Buffy's reaction that it was hard for the Slayer to read this.  
  
"Mom's obituary," Buffy gasped. She looked at Willow. "Why are you showing me this?"  
  
"Read it," the witch instructed. Buffy didn't need to be told twice.  
  
"Yada yada. Surgery complications. 'She is survived by'." With that, Buffy stopped. Willow finished the words for Buffy.  
  
"Her daughters, Buffy and Dawn. No mention of her sister. So I did a search, and I can't find any connection between Mona Keller and your mother. Buffy, Mona's not your aunt." 


	5. Give Me the News

When Buffy returned home, two of her closest friends, Xander Harris and Anya Emerson, were with Willow.  
  
"I stopped by Mona's hotel, there's nobody there," Buffy exclaimed. "Wherever they went, it wasn't there."  
  
"How could you two not even realize she wasn't your aunt?" Anya asked. "Don't you two even know who you're related too?"  
  
"An, honey, not now," Xander responded.  
  
"No, she's right," Buffy answered. "How did this happen? I have memories of her being in my life in LA. How could they not be real?" The question made a light bulb go off on her head. "The monks," she said. "Maybe not them, but it's the same thing. Mona altered reality, made us think she was our aunt."  
  
"I don't think so," Willow responded. "I don't believe reality was altered. If Mona was strong enough to do that, she would have simply altered it so there was a record of her filing for custody of Dawn."  
  
"So if she wasn't altering reality, how did she make us think she was our aunt?" Buffy asked.  
  
"Could she have maybe altered their memories, Will?" Xander asked. "Just simply implanted thoughts into their head to make it seem as if they knew her the whole time?"  
  
"It's possible," Willow suggested, "but why would she go to all the trouble? And what does she want with Dawn?"  
  
"And what about the policemen?" Xander asked. "How did she have them on her side? Or were they a spell too?"  
  
"No, they weren't," Willow said. "I would sense the magical residue if they were just an illusion of Mona's. They were real."  
  
"Maybe not," Anya suggested. "They very easily could have been Klavloc demons."  
  
"Klavloc demons? What are those?" Xander asked.  
  
"They're shape shifters," Anya explained. "They usually travel in a pack. They're generally non-violent, but if you pay them enough money they'll do just about anything for you. They have the ability to look and sound like anyone. You could walk right by them in broad daylight and not even realize it."  
  
"But why would Klavloc demons help Mona kidnap Dawn?" Willow asked.  
  
"Because Mona is a Klavloc demon, too!" Buffy suddenly realized. "When she was trying to convince us to let her take Dawn, she commented that she was afraid Dawn would be killed by a Klavloc." The rest of the gang looked stunned at this revelation. She turned to Anya. "Do Klavloc demons have any special abilities?" she asked. "Are they magical in nature?"  
  
"Not really," Anya answered. "They just change shape."  
  
"So if Mona really was a Klavloc demon, than whoever sent them here must have some access to magic," Xander said. He turned to Willow. "Is there any way you can sense where the magic came from?"  
  
"The ritual I used to find out about Dawn," Buffy suggested. "I can use that and see if a spell has been cast on me, and that will lead me to whoever cast it."  
  
"That won't work," Anya replied. "If a spell was cast on you, you won't be able to see it. Somebody else would have to do the ritual."  
  
"I'll do it," Willow chimed in.  
  
"Let's get to it."  
  
  
  
Dawn was beginning to suspect something was wrong. For one thing, Mona hadn't said a word the entire trip. For another, she was pretty sure it was unusual for two of the policemen to be riding in the backseat while the rest followed. She wanted to question her aunt, to see what was going on, but she kept her mouth shut.  
  
They rode in silence a bit more when the male policeman in the back started to complain. "My face is getting all itchy," he muttered. Dawn glanced in the rearview mirror and saw him scratching away at his face so roughly that she wouldn't be surprised if he had scratches all over his face when he pulled away his hands. "Can we please dispose of these disguises?" he asked.  
  
"I don't see why not," Mona replied. "We have what we're after."  
  
Dawn, still glancing in the rearview mirror, let out a squeal of terror when the faces of the policemen melted away, revealing bumpy gray faces with red eyes. She turned to her aunt to tell her there were demons in the backseat, when she realized her aunt had become a demon as well.  
  
"What's going on here?!" Dawn asked.  
  
"Please be quiet," the demon formerly known as Mona replied. It was wearing the same attire Mona had been wearing, but it no longer looked or sounded like her aunt. Dawn wasn't entirely sure if the demon was male or female; it certainly didn't fill out Mona's dress the way it had as a human. "We're almost there."  
  
Dawn did as she was told, watching every turn they made. She wished he had been paying more attention; when the first opportunity presented itself, she was going to bolt, and she wasn't sure if she could find her way home. All she knew was she wasn't going to stay with these monsters much longer.  
  
The car eventually pulled over on the side of the road, and the police cars stopped behind it. Dawn wasn't the least bit surprised to realize that all of the policemen were the same type of demons as the creature pretending to be her aunt.  
  
The demons led her several feet into the woods before they eventually came upon a cabin. Not-Mona shoved Dawn inside, causing the youth to fall to the ground as she did. Not-Mona turned a light on, and Dawn was startled to see a young woman tied to a chair. Despite the fact the woman had been bloodied and beaten, Dawn recognized her.  
  
"Amy!" Dawn called out.  
  
Amy Madison lifted her head and looked at Dawn. Dawn couldn't help but notice that Amy looked defeated. Apparently these monsters had beaten her, but for what? And then, as Amy's magic-fueled dark eyes returned to normal, she understood.  
  
Not-Mona wasn't Mona because Mona didn't exist. Her Aunt Mona was only a figment of her imagination, and apparently Buffy's as well. Then it hit Dawn; Amy must have performed a spell to make them believe they had always had an aunt. She wanted to scream at Amy, but when she glanced at the witch again, she realized that Amy had been an unwilling pawn in this. It didn't appear as though she had tricked Dawn and her sister on purpose.  
  
"Where is the Master?" Not-Mona (The Leader) asked Amy. When Amy didn't answer immediately, it struck her. "Where?!" it demanded.  
  
"Out back," Amy breathed. Dawn could tell the witch was in intense pain. Apparently the witch had put up quite the struggle, but there was only so much she could take. Amy had been a witch far longer than Willow, but she didn't have anywhere near the power to take on these demons. Dawn wasn't entirely sure Willow could have defeated them either.  
  
There were several moments of silence before someone entered the room. Dawn let out a gasp of surprise to see Doc. Appearing to be nothing but an old man, she knew Doc was a lot more powerful than her looked. He was some type of demon. From what she understood, he had been impaled and lived. She thought Spike had killed him, but apparently having been thrown off a tower several thousand feet in the air hadn't been enough to kill the demon either.  
  
"I take it by the look on your face you recognize me," Doc smiled. "Not that it really matters."  
  
"What do you want with me?" Dawn asked.  
  
Doc laughed. "Foolish girl," he replied. "Do you think just because the Beast is dead that you're of no use to me? You're still the Key, and I have use of you. I'm not sure how the gates of hell were closed when you're still alive, but I assure you that when I'm through with you, you will be very much dead." 


	6. To the Scene of the Crime

"Got it," Willow said as she came out of the ritual. "It's Amy, and she's in the woods. It's not that far from here."  
  
"Amy?" Xander asked. "But why would she kidnap Dawn?"  
  
"I think she's injured," Willow remarked.  
  
"So you think somebody forced her to perform the spell?" Buffy asked. Willow simply nodded. "Then we better get going, and fast. I doubt whoever went to all this trouble to kidnap Dawn just wants to play a game of Scrabble. Let's go."  
  
With that, the Slayer, the Witch, and Xander were out the door. A moment later, Xander stuck his head in. "Aren't you coming?" Xander asked Anya.  
  
Anya shrugged. "I won't really be of any help," Anya responded. "What am I going to do, stand there and cheer Buffy on?"  
  
"Just come on, Anya," Xander replied. "You never know of what use you could be."  
  
Anya looked as though she was about to refuse, but finally she sighed and gave in. "Oh all right," she said, "but if I get killed, you know I'm going to come back and haunt you for this." And with that, Xander and Anya were off to join Buffy and Willow.  
  
  
  
"We got what you wanted, you have the girl," the Leader (formerly Not-Mona) told Doc. "Now give us what we agreed upon. Use the witch to make us immortal."  
  
"I'm afraid there's been a change of plans," Doc responded, pulling a knife from his pocket.  
  
"And those are?" the Leader asked. Instead of responding, Doc just smiled. He lashed out with his tongue, which Dawn couldn't help but think of as that of a frog's. His tongue almost instantaneously wrapped itself around the Leader's head. He then retracted the tongue; the Leader's head snatched off its body and came with it.  
  
Dawn wanted to vomit. Even though the Leader had handed her over to this killer and had abused Amy, she didn't want to see it die such a horrible death. And despite the fact Dawn didn't really have an Aunt Mona, a part of her still felt like the Leader was her aunt. It was nothing like losing her mother, but it still felt like she had lost a loved one just the same.  
  
Seeing their leader killed, the group of Klavlocs, approximately twenty in all, charged at Doc. He leaped over their head, easily avoiding them. Dawn wondered if he was some sort of amphibian demon, as he was even more agile than the Slayer. The battle lasted less than a minute, and when it was all said and done there were twenty dead Klavlocs on the ground.  
  
"Now to start the ritual," Doc remarked, turning back to Dawn.  
  
  
  
In the woods, Buffy and the Scoobies looked lost. "How much farther?" Buffy demanded.  
  
"I'm not sure," Willow admitted. "Amy's not holding on to the magicks, so I can't sense her."  
  
"Try harder!" Buffy replied. She couldn't help but feel a sense of déjà vu at their surroundings; it reminded her far too much of the time she, Xander, and Anya had tracked Willow through the woods. At least this time, Willow was on their side.  
  
"Wait a minute, I recognize this spot," Xander said.  
  
"What? How?" Anya asked. "It's the woods. It all looks the same."  
  
"No, look," Xander said, pointing to a carving on a tree of a heart with the initials DC and JB inscribed in it. "I saw this when we were looking for Willow."  
  
"What good will that do us?" Buffy asked.  
  
"After you went chasing after Willow, I was forced to find my way out of the woods, and I remember passing a cabin," he said. "Maybe that's where Dawn is being kept."  
  
"Do you think you can find it again?" Buffy asked.  
  
"I think so, but." He stopped and turned to Willow. "To do so, we'll have to return to the spot where you killed Warren." All four Scoobies were quiet at that moment. Xander pressed on. "Do you think you can handle that?"  
  
"I'll have to be able to," Willow admitted, gazing her eyes at her feet. Buffy admired the witch's courage; she didn't want to return to that spot, either. But if it was the only way to find Dawn, that it had to be done.  
  
"This way," Xander said, leading the path.  
  
  
  
Dawn was trapped in a corner of the room, and Doc was slowly approaching with a knife in hand. "You know the drill," he said her. Dawn was surprised to find that it appeared as though he were trying to soothe her. Did he really think she would be happy to let him cut her so long as he was nice about it? "I can't open the Gate without first drawing blood."  
  
Suddenly Doc screamed in pain and he dropped the knife. Dawn saw smoke rising from his hand. He tried to pick the knife up again, but he shrieked again. Something had raised the knife's temperature so much that the demon could no longer hold it. Doc figured out what was going on before Dawn did.  
  
"You!" Doc shrieked at Amy. He leapt over to her and smacked her in the face. "I thought you had already learned not to try to stop me. But you overestimate your own importance. I no longer need you, so there is no point in keeping you alive any longer!"  
  
Just as he had done with the Leader, Doc wrapped his tongue around Amy's head. Before he could snatch it back and decapitate the witch, Dawn picked up the knife (which by now had cooled) and plunged it into Doc's back. He let out another shriek as he turned around and swung at Dawn. She managed to duck under the blow and then knee him in the crotch, doubling him over.  
  
Dawn quickly went to work untying Amy's ropes. She helped the witch up just as their attacked climbed to his feet. He leaped at them, but Amy cast a spell that sent him flying backwards through the wall. Dawn then supported Amy as the two began to run.  
  
They were into the woods. Dawn was running as fast as she could while supporting Amy, which needless to say wasn't very fast. "Is there any way you can perform a spell to hide us from that guy?" Dawn asked the witch.  
  
"I'm too weak now," Amy responded. "I'm drained."  
  
They kept running. After a few seconds, Doc leaped on the two of them, sending them both to the ground. He grabbed Amy and slung her against a tree, knocking her unconscious. He then pinned Dawn to the ground and pulled the knife out of his back.  
  
"Nice try," he said, "but I've had just about enough." He then raised the knife high above Dawn's chest, and then brought it down quickly and swiftly. 


	7. To the Rescue

The blade stopped less than an inch from Dawn's chest. Dawn, who had kept her eyes closed, opened them to see Buffy had grabbed Doc's hands just in time. "Slayer," he hissed. His tongue shot out at Buffy, but she easily dodged.  
  
Doc leaped back and tried to hit Buffy with his tongue again, and once again Buffy dodged. He then leaped and pounced on Buffy. He brought the knife to Buffy's throat and prepared to slash when Willow shouted, "Diskayday!" The knife disappeared in Doc's hands and reappeared in Willow's. Stunned at the disappeared on his weapon, Doc wasn't prepared to block a kick from Buffy that sent him flying off of her.  
  
The demon landed on his feet and lashed out at Willow with his tongue. It caught her right in the head, sending her down. "Willow!" Xander screamed as the witch fell to the ground. Buffy charged after Doc while Anya joined Xander at Willow's side.  
  
"Is she okay?" Anya asked. "Did he kill her?"  
  
"No, she's alive, just unconscious," Xander reported. "I think he might have hurt her neck, but I don't think it's broken."  
  
Xander heard a moan from behind him and turned in time to see Buffy sent to the ground. Doc turned back towards Xander. "Don't worry about the witch," the demon told him. "I'll finish her off before the night is done."  
  
"You *******!" Xander shrieked as he charged at Doc. Doc just leaped and pounced on Xander, knocking him to the ground. The demon then lifted Xander up and wrapped its tongue around his neck. Buffy started to charge forward to help her friend.  
  
"Not so fast!" Doc remarked. Amazingly he talked perfectly, despite the fact his tongue wasn't even in his mouth. "If you so much as take on step forward, I'll snap your friend's neck." Buffy was forced to stop in her tracks.  
  
"Let him go!" she ordered.  
  
"Somehow, I doubt that," Doc commented. He continued talking, but Anya tuned him out. Terrified Xander would be injured or worse, killed, she tried to figure out a way to stop the demon. Seeing the knife in Willow's hand, she grabbed the weapon and slowly started to creep towards the demon. She prayed for the sound of the leaves under her feet not to give her away, and her prayers were answered. Doc was so busy rambling that he never heard Anya approach him.  
  
Anya reached around Doc and cut his tongue. He screamed in agony as his tongue retracted, releasing Xander. Anya used the knife and plunged it right into his chest. He screamed once more and fell to the ground. Anya heard Willow moan, but she didn't turn around to see what was happening. She was intent on making sure Doc didn't hurt any of her friends, especially Xander.  
  
Buffy grabbed Doc and pulled him to his feet. His eyes, which had been closed, popped open. "Nice try," Buffy said as she slammed him into a tree, "but we know that's not enough to kill you." She slammed him into the tree three more times until she was reasonably sure he was unconscious. Tossing him aside, she, Dawn, and her friends went to help Willow to her feet.  
  
  
  
"Decadah," Willow said, throwing a powder of dust on the unconscious Doc. Doc was then gone, sent somewhere else. "It's a dimensional teleportation spell," Willow explained. "I sent him to the land of the trolls. At least, I think."  
  
"Hopefully he'll run into Olaf and they'll beat each other's brains out," Anya remarked. She looked up and saw that Xander was smiling at her. "What?" she asked.  
  
"I told you you could be of some use," he said.  
  
Anya smiled. "I was, wasn't I?" she remarked. "I saved the day. I think this means I should be rewarded with lots and lots of presents." Then, turning to Dawn, she said, "All store bought, nothing made."  
  
"I'm sorry, Dawn," Buffy told her sister. "I never should have let Mona take you. Even if she really was my aunt, I should have fought harder."  
  
"It's not your fault," Dawn said. "You can't fight the police. You did what you had to do. And everything is okay, thanks to you guys." Dawn stopped, but her eyes lit up. She then turned around. "And Amy. Where did she go?"  
  
"She and I don't get along very well any more," Willow commented. "She probably saw me and decided to split when nobody was looking."  
  
"Drats. I was really hoping to thank her," Dawn said. Willow looked doubtfully at Dawn. "She did save my life," Dawn explained. "I would have been dead before you got here if she hadn't helped out."  
  
"We'll have to thank her the next time we see her," Buffy said, "but for now let's get back home. These woods give me the creeps."  
  
The end. 


End file.
